On our second day in Iceland, I woke up after 5 hours of sleep in 3 days to go on an adventure around Iceland’s famous Golden Circle. I was too excited to let myself be exhausted. When Sam and I boarded the bus, we noticed two friendly faces that we had met and talked with the day before in Reykjavik. They were a really cool and well-traveled couple from San Francisco, but are now living in London. We sat behind them and they gave us advice on living in the UK and traveling in Europe, so we quickly became friends.
Once the bus departed, our tour guide introduced herself and gave us a brief history of Iceland. She said that Iceland is basically a large basaltic rock on the active mid-Atlantic ridge and has about 35-42 volcanoes. Most of Iceland is dried lava and we passed over this one part of lava that looks very green and luscious and is found all over Iceland, especially surrounding the Blue Lagoon and it’s called Christianity lava. She says that Iceland was a pagan country and when they converted to Christianity in year 1000, this giant volcano erupted and this type of lava spread everywhere. It is said that the pagan gods were angry that the nation had converted so they caused it.
Iceland thrives off of geothermal power which is really clean, affordable, and sustainable. Icelanders pay an average of 1 euro a day for electrical energy. Their water comes from glacial rivers and is pure with no additives, like chlorine, therefore, the best you can get.
Iceland’s climate is not the best for sustainable food and the only things that grow are potatoes, turnips, carrots, cabbage, kale, and cauliflower. The environment is not conducive for fruit so fruit is very expensive. Iceland’s geothermal power has made greenhouses possible so that Icelanders can sustainably grow organic non-gmo tomatoes and cucumbers among other things. Our first stop was at a greenhouse where they mostly grew tomatoes. I tried a fresh tomato soup there which was absolutely delicious along with the fresh bread that comes with it. I met two girls there from Zurich, Switzerland who happened to be staying in the same hostel as I am. We talked about traveling in Iceland and I gave them advice on visiting America. They ended up becoming good friends of mine throughout the trip.
After the greenhouse stop, we moved along to the Gullfoss Falls. They are not quite the largest falls in Iceland, but are still truly magnificent. As one person pointed out, they are sort of shaped like a slice of pizza and now every time I look at a picture of them, that’s all I see! We walked to the top and viewed them from above, then went down right beside them which was pretty surreal. I left soaking wet and freezing but it was worth it!
After Gullfoss, we went to visit the Strokkur geyser among many others which was a true test to one’s patience. In front of Strokkur, there was a line of about 30 or more people all with their cameras out waiting to get the perfect shot as the water spewed up into the air. You have to get the timing right or you might miss it and have to wait for the next one. After checking out the geysers, I hiked up the adjacent mountain with my new friends from Switzerland, Andreina and Jenny. The hike was not very long but the view from the top was picturesque. On the other side were great stretches of greenery with beautiful Icelandic homes and numerous Icelandic horses.
Icelandic horses are quite majestic. The Icelandic people are mostly settlers from Norway and when they first came to the island, the only animal already here was the arctic fox, which they think came from Greenland. They brought all of the other animals with them, including the horses. There’s about 80-90,000 horses here and they are all true bred. The horses can leave the country, but once gone, they cannot be brought back because they have strict regulations on keeping them pure.
After gazing at the horses from atop the mountain, Andreina, Jenny, and I ran back down to get some food before departing. I had a skyr yogurt and bought a little shot of brennivin, which is the Icelandic traditional schnapps, and also known as “black death.” I was thankful that I got the skyr, which I used to chase it with, because it was insanely strong. With only a tiny little sip, you can feel it warming up your entire body all the way to the tips of your fingers and toes. I wouldn’t have it again, but it’s definitely something you must try in Iceland.
Our next and final stop was Þingvellir National Park (pronounced thingvedlir), which is what originally peaked my curiosity of Iceland when I took a geology class. It is the only place on earth where you can literally see the tectonic plates. It’s the dividing point of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates are diverging at an average of 2cm per year. They are quite spread apart now with a lake in between them, but it is cool to be in the middle, in what is now called “New Iceland.”
Þingvellir was Iceland’s first national park in 1930 and is also a UNESCO world heritage site. There is a lake in the middle surrounded by young lava, of about 9-10,000 years old. In this lake, there are 4 different species of trout that only live here and cannot be found anywhere else. It still remains a question to scientists who frequently come to study it. The lake has become the dividing point for the continents, because on one side, you can stand on Eurasia, then walk across the bridge, and you’re in North America… pretty phenomenal.
The fascination doesn’t end with the geology of Þingvellir, but also the history. It is the location where Iceland’s first national parliament was established in year 930. Iceland used to be separated by many regions that were controlled by various pagan chieftains. In 930, they all came together as one nation and they chose this spot for a few reasons. The mountains surrounding are not too high, therefore, everyone could easily travel there by horse. It was also the biggest lake in Iceland and all the rivers flowed towards it. The lake was a source of food and firewood, making this a suitable location for all to come together. Þingvellir is a place of monumental decisions, and so it is also here where the Icelandic people converted to Catholicism to keep Norway happy. Our guide told us that most people did not want to convert so the Icelandic way was to secretly stay pagan, and tell everyone else what they wanted to hear, and hence, they were Catholic. That concluded our tour of the Golden Circle and we headed back to Reykjavik. We called it a night after so little sleep in 3 days.
Coming next… The Blue Lagoon and The South Shore!!
Forever wandering and wondering,
Brianna Leilani
Here’s the thing – I enjoy writing and I miss having an incentive to continue my passion for photography. While I still travel as much as possible (I’m going to Belgium next week, and my husband and I are visiting Hong Kong, Vietnam, & Singapore for our honeymoon next month!), I’m not living a life on the road as I imagined when I first started this blog. My life completely changed, but it’s just as exciting as ever and I’ve learned so much along the way.
BriannaLeilani 